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IPM CAPs Benefit State IPM Coordinators:

• Encourages IPM adoption by providing growers financial assistance for developing an IPM Conservation Activity Plan (CAP) for their farm.
  
  
• Establishes working and communication linkages between growers, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Extension, Technical Service Providers (TSPs) and others.
  
  
• Creates a new avenue for you to quantify IPM activity in your state by tracking:
  • the number of plans developed (i.e., number of growers, farms and acres involved with the program),
  • amount of financial assistance distributed to growers,
  • number of IPM CAP-certified TSPs in your state.
    
    
• Increases grower, TSP, agricultural community's awareness of IPM benefits and opportunities for adoption.

Steps to Developing an IPM CAP Program in Your State:

1. Request that your state offer IPM CAPs. Contact your state NRCS office to determine if NRCS offers IPM CAPs in your state. If not, express your interest and support for the program. States must choose by December 18, 2009 which CAPs they will offer. Mail, email and/or fax a written request to your State Conservationist to offer IPM CAPs.
   
   
2. Express your interest and support to NRCS. Contact your NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) program manager and NRCS State Conservationist to express your support and interest in developing an IPM CAP program in your state. Ask them what they need from you and others to make this happen.
   
   
Offer NRCS your help with establishing adequate cost-share rates, developing and hosting training workshops and conducting outreach.


3. Recruit your IPM CAPs “Development Team” and identify responsibilities. Collaboration among key players will be most effective. Ideally, your team will consist of the NRCS EQIP program manager for your state, Extension specialists, your State IPM Coordinator, crop advisors, growers and/or representatives from grower groups.
   
   Consider forming a cooperative agreement with NRCS help pay for conducting outreach, holding training workshops, etc. See the “Additional Considerations” section below for more information.
   
   
4. Establish adequate financial assistance. NRCS offers a 75% cost-share to growers for hiring a TSP to write an IPM CAP for their farm. To ensure your state's cost-share rates reflect what TSPs actually charge for their services, use the “IPM ONE 2009” spreadsheet (click here for the model IPM ONE 2009 spreadsheet) and California's 2009 IPM CAPs payment schedule spreadsheet.

   Some growers have expressed concern with paying the remaining 25% of the TSP's fee. To reduce this barrier, you can apply for grants to pay the balance for growers who use high-risk pesticides and/or have heightened resource concerns on their farms such as numerous water bodies, soil prone to leaching or run-off, etc.

   Additionally, recommend to NRCS that funding in other NRCS programs such as the EQIP 595 Pest Management Standard be prioritized to favor growers who already have an IPM CAP. This will provide additional financial incentive for growers to invest in an IPM CAP since they will be more likely to receive financial assistance for implementing the plan.

5. Conduct outreach to growers, TSPs and others. Outreach to growers and TSPs is critical to a successful IPM CAPs program. Growers and TSPs need to know the economic and environmental benefits of having an IPM CAP. Conduct outreach to these groups describing the program, its benefits, how they can apply for funding and find a TSP or how they can become certified to write IPM CAPs.
   
   
6. Evaluation and information sharing. The National IPM CAPs Working Group offers support and resources to all states developing an IPM CAP program. As you undergo the program development process, please provide the working group with feedback on your experience, suggestions for improvement and any additional resources. We will make these available on the working group's website to help other states beginning the process. Contact Us page.

    

Additional Considerations:

• Form a cooperative agreement . By forming a cooperative agreement with the NRCS, you are agreeing to share the workload and financial responsibilities of developing your state's IPM CAPs program. Note in the agreement what is expected of each team member and by when. Indicate the financial assistance NRCS will be providing. Click here for a sample cooperative agreement.

• Plan and host a TSP training workshop. A shortage of IPM CAPs-certified TSPs can limit the success of your state's IPM CAPs program. The more certified TSPs there are in your area, the more IPM CAPs requests from growers can be filled.

The National IPM CAPs Working Group is currently finalizing a TSP IPM CAP training curriculum. A draft curriculum is available here. Please note that each line item meets a minimum requirement for certifying TSPs and should be retained if you choose to adapt this curriculum to meet additional needs in your state. NRCS can provide trainers for the NRCS-led portions of the curriculum; IPM specialists, Extension agents and qualified TSPs are good candidates for the remaining portions.

State IPM Coordinator Resources:
Connecticut NRCS. 2006. Cooperative Agreement sample. Sample of a cooperative agreement NRCS could form between Extension, conservation districts, public agencies, etc. 17pp. (doc)

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Nov. 2009. Guide to Becoming an IPM CAP-Certified TSP. 3pp. (PDF)

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Request Letter to NRCS State Conservationist. Nov. 2009. 5pp. (doc) Containing:

• Introductory message regarding the need to support IPM CAPs in your state,
• letter of request to offer IPM CAPs to your state conservationist and
• NRCS state conservationist contact information, listed by state.

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Nov. 2009 To-Do List for Developing an IPM CAP Program. 3pp. (PDF)

National IPM CAPs Working Group. Oct. 2009. Draft of TSP IPM CAPs Training Curriculum. To be used for training current and prospective Technical Service Providers to become IPM CAPs certified. (PDF)

Natural Resources Conservation Service contact site to find your state NRCS office: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/organization/regions.html